WAX. 



ufed both by furgeons and farriers, with fuccefs, againft 

 ftrjins. 



The officinal preparations are as follow : cera jlava 

 purificata of Dub. Ph. ; oxidum antimomi •vltrificatum 

 cera of Edinb. ; emplajirum eerie of Lond. and Edinb. ; 

 emplajlrum cumitii of Lond. ; empl. picis compojitum of 

 Lond. ; I'mpl. oxldi Jerri ruhrl of Edinb. ; empl. ajfa- 

 fatidic of Edinb. ; empl. gummofum of Edinb. ; empl. 

 inches ■vejuatorii of Edinb. and Lond. ; empl. galbani 

 of Dub. ; empl. aromaikum of Dub. ; ceratum of Lond. 

 and Dub.; ceratum calamln<e of Lond. and Dub.; ceratum 

 i-ifms of Lond. Edinb. and Dub. ; ceratum fabina of 

 Lond. and Dub. ; ceratum faponis of Lond. ; unguentum 

 picis arids of Lond. and Edinb. ; ung. Infufi meloes vejicatorii 

 of Edinb.; and un^. caniharidis of Dub. Ph. For the firft, 

 fee 'wMle-ivax below. The fecond, or vitrified oxyd of an- 

 timony with wax, formerly waxed glafs of antimony, is 

 formed by melting one part of yellow wax in an iron veflel, 

 and throwing into it eight parts of oxyd of antimony 

 vitrified with fulphur, reduced to powder, and roafting 

 the mixture with a gentle fire for a quarter of an hour, 

 ftirring it afiiduouily with a fpatula ; then pouring out the 

 latter, and when cold rubbing it into a powder. This pre- 

 paration is diaphoretic and cathartic, occafionally exciting 

 naufea and vomiting. It was formerly thought to polfefs 

 efficacy in diarrhoea and dyfentery ; but is now fcarcely ever 

 prefcribed. The dofe may be from gr. ij. to gr. xv. given 

 twice or three times a day. For the empl. cera, fee Wax Plas- 

 ter. For tiie 4th, fee Emplastrum / Cymino. For the 

 5th, fee Compound Pitch Plaster. For the 6th, fee Plas- 

 ter of red Oxyd of Iron. For the 7th, fee ^Jfa Fcetida 

 Plaster. For the 8th, fee Gum Plaster. For the 9th, 

 loth, and nth, fee Plaster. For the others, compre- 

 hending cerates and ointments. See Unguentum. 



The bleached or white luax is generally melted and caft, 

 in the manner already ilated, into thin difcs, about 5 inches 

 in diameter, in which form it is found in the (hops. For 

 medical purpofes, it is regarded as a demulcent ; and has been 

 fometimes adminiftercd in obllinate cafes of diarrhoea and dy- 

 fentery, with the view of fiieathing the bowels ; which efFeft 

 is better produced by fimple mucilages and folutions. It is 

 generally exhibited ditfufed in mucilaginous fluids by means of 

 &ap, in the proportion of jd part of the wax, with which it is 

 firft: melted, and then rubbed in a mortar, with the fluid gra- 

 dually added; but a preferable method is faid to be that of 

 Poerner, which is firft to melt the wax with olive oil, and 

 then mix the oily compound while hot with the mucilagin- 

 ous fluid, by triturating with the yolk of an egg. The dofe 

 is a cupfuU of the emulfion, containing about 3j of wax, 

 given every four or five hours. This wax, as well as the 

 yellow fort, is much ufed in the compofition of plafters and 

 ointments. The officinal preparations are ceratum cetacei 

 of Lond. Edinb. and Dub. pharmacopeias; unguentum ce- 

 tacei of Lond. and Dub. ; ung. hydrargyri nitrico-oxydi of 

 Lond.; linimentum Jimplex of Edinb.; and ung. Jimplex of 

 Edinb. See Ceratum, Liniment, and Unguent. Lewis's 

 Mat. Med. 



Yellow wax is made foft with turpentine, yet retains its 

 natural colour. Red wax is only the white melted with tur- 

 pentine, and reddened with vermilion or alkanet. Verdi- 

 grife makes it green ; and burnt paper, or lamp-black, black. 

 Some travellers tell us of a natural black wax ; affuring us 

 there are bees, both in the Eaft and Weft Indies, that make 

 an excellent honey, included in black cells. Of this wax, 

 they fay, it is, that the Indians make thofe little vafes, in 

 which they gather their balfam of Tolu. 



Wax is Jfo produced by the fecretion of many plants, 



and forms the filvery powder or bloom, whicli covers their 

 leaves and fruit. It is found very abundantly combined 

 cc. '■e»"' covering the trunk of the wax-palm ( CeroKylon) 

 of South America, found in the QuinoUu mountains, 180 

 feet high, with leaves 20 feet long, the trunk of which is 

 covered with the waxy fecretion about two inches thick, 

 and confifting of two-thirds of refin and one of wax ; and 

 very pure, enrrufting the feeds of the Myrica cerifera, or 

 wax-tree of Louifiana, and other parts of North America. 

 The Pe-la of the Chinefe is an animal wax, and the white 

 lac of India appears to be a variety of wax ; lo that wax 

 may be regarded, in the extended meaning of the term, both 

 as an animal and a vegetable produft. The croton febi- 

 ferum, the tomex febifera, the poplar, the alder, the pine, 

 as well as the Myrica, afford a concrete inflammable matter 

 by decodlion, that more or lefs refembles tallow or wax, 

 that is, a fixed oil faturated with oxygen. But the Myrica 

 cerifera fupplies it in the greatelt abundance. The grains 

 of this tree, and the (hining wax obtained by boihng them 

 in water, have been long ago, -j/z. in 1722 and 1725, no- 

 ticed in the Hiftory of the Academy of Sciences. The 

 wax, it was obferved, is drier and more friable than our's ; 

 and it was found, that the hquor in which the grain had 

 been boiled, and from which the wax was procured, af- 

 forded, on evaporation, a kind of extraft that checked the 

 moft obftinate dyfenteries ; and the inhabitants of Louifiana 

 are faid to have made candles of the wax. Several authore 

 have mentioned different fpecies of thefe trees ; but the wax 

 they afford has more lately been the fubjeft of experimental 

 inveftigation, particulariy by M. Cadet and Dr. Boftock. 

 The moft fertile of thefe flirubs afford near feven pounds of 

 berries, the gathering of which employ feveral families. 

 Thefe berries are thrown into a kettle, and covered with 

 water. Whilft the water is boiling, the grains are ftirred 

 about againft the fides of the veffel, fo tliat the wax may 

 more eafily come off. In a little time it floats on the water 

 like fat, and being coUefted, is ftrained through a coarfe 

 cloth, to free it from any impurities. This operation is re- 

 peated with frefli berries ; and when a confiderable quantity 

 of wax has been obtained, it is laid upon a cloth to drain off 

 the water ; and it is then dried and melted a fecond time ; 

 and when thus purified, formed into maffes. Four pounds 

 of berries afford about one of wax : that which is firft 

 obtained is generally yellow ; but in the latter boilings it 

 affumes a green colour, from the pellicle with which the 

 kernel of the berry is covered. M. Cadet made a variety 

 of experiments on thefe berries, and found that the powder 

 which was obtained from them afforded an aftringent folu- 

 tion by alcohol, and that it contained gallic acid, but no 

 tannin ; and to this acid he attributes their effett in dyfen- 

 teries. The wax, obtained either by the decoftion of the 

 grains, or the folution of the powder when precipitated 

 from alcohol by water, when melted, is always of a greenifli- 

 yellow ; of a firmer confiftence than bees'-wax, dry, and fuf- 

 ficiently friable to be pulverized; and evidently more 

 oxygenated than the wax prepared by bees. Candles made 

 of this wax yielded a white flame, a good light, without 

 fmoke, and without guttering ; and when quite frefli, they 

 emit a balfamic odour, confidered in Louifiana as very falu- 

 brious to perfons in bad health. Diftilled in a retort, this 

 wax, for the moft part, paffes over in the form of butter. 

 This portion is much whiter, and has no more confiftence 

 than tallow. Another portion tliat was decompofed af- 

 forded a little water, with fome empyreumatic oil and 

 f -bacic acid. Much carbonated hydrogen gas and carbonic 

 acid gas were difengaged ; and there remained in the retort 

 a black and coaly bitumen. Ether was found to diffolve 

 Co 2 this 



